Electric elevator.



PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

H. R. WELLMAN. ELECTRIC ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE a0. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENT OFFICE.

. HAROLD ROBINSON WELLMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE THIRD TOEDWARD S. ISHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,444, dated April 5,1904. Application filed June 30, 1903. Serial No. 163,799. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HAROLD ROBINSON WELLMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Elevators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to elevators of the type employing an endless ropewherein the upward or downward movement of the elevatorcar, as well asits speed of movement, may be effected and varied by altering the linearvelocity of the rope at one of its driven points or otherwise by varyingthe diameter of one of the driving-sheaves over which the rope passes. j

My invention consists in the construction of the driving-sheave ofvariable diameter and in the means employed for actuating the movableparts of said sheave to change the effective diameter of the sheave.

The object of my invention is to provide means for changing theeffective diameter of such sheave by moving such portions of the sheaveas at the time are not subjected to the pressure or strain of the ropepassing over the sheave.

The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation and sectiontaken on the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is apartial side elevation andsection taken on the line 6 b of Fig. 1. Fig. lzis a plan and horizontalsection taken on the line c of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, indicates the elevatorcar; 6, endless rope which iscarried over the sheave 7 and pulleys 8 9 10 11 and sheave 12 ofvariable diameter. Thepulle; 11 is counterweighted by the weight 13. Thesheaves 7 and 12 are mounted on and secured to the shaft 14, carried instandards15, and adapted to be moved at constant speed by means of themotor 16 and the interposed gears 17 18 between the motor and the shafThe sheave 12 of variable diameter consists of the hub or spool 19 andthe six coneshaped members 20 20 20 21 21 21 whose lower surfaceconforms in shape to that of the hub 19 and whose upper surface isinclined downwardly in opposite directions toward each other. Each ofthese members has a screw-thread upon its interior and is mounted uponan eXteriorly-threaded shaft, of which there are six, 22 22 22 23 23 23The inclination of the screw-threads on the shafts 22 22* 22 areopposite in direction to those on the shafts 23 23 23 The shafts aremounted in bearings 24 at each end of the hub or spool, and uponopposite ends of the shafts are the gears 25 26.

Mounted loosely upon the shaft 14: at the right of the spool is a sleeve27, from which projects in an upward direction a plate or arm 28, havingan arc-shaped rack 29 formed in its upper edge. Mounted loosely upon theshaft 14 at the left of the spool or hub is a sleeve 30, from whichprojects in an upward direction an arm or plate 31, which is turned at aright angle at the top and has formed in its under surface an arc-shapedrack 32. The construction of the rack at theright is best shown in Fig.2 and that at the left in Fig. 3.

Mounted in the standards 15 is a shaft 33, on which is secured a pulley34., over which passes an endless rope 35, which is carried through theelevator-car and over a pulley 36 at the top of the elevator-shaft.Secured to the shaft 33 are the detents 37 38. The detent 37 is adaptedto engage with a pin 39, which projects horizontally to the right fromthe sleeve 27, and the detent 38 is adapted to engage with a pin 40,which projects horizontally to the left from the sleeve 30.

The operation of my device is as follows: Assuming the effectivediameter of the sheaves 7 and 12 at any given time to be the same, nomotion will be imparted in an upward or downward direction to theelevator-car 5.- If, however. the effective diameter of the sheave 12 isaltered relative to that of the sheave 7 the linear velocity of theendlessrope 6rwill be increased or decreased, depending upon whether theeffective diameter of this sheave 12 is greater or less than that of thesheave 7. Assuming the effective diameter of the sheave 12 to be greaterthan that of the sheave 7 the linear velocity of the rope at the sheave12 will be greater than that at the sheave 7, and consequently theelevator-car will rise. Conversely, if the linear velocity of the ropeat the sheave 12 is decreased the car will descend.

It will be observed that the endless rope 6, irrespective of theeffective diameter at the time of the sheave 12, bears upon thecone-shaped members at the time at the bottom of the sheave, while themembers at the time at the sides of the sheave are under little pressureand those at the time at the top of the sheave are under no pressure.Practically it is not possible to move the members at the time at thebottom of the sheave, owing to the strain exerted by the rope; but thoseat the top may be freely moved. 'Io effect this movement to bring themembers together, the endless rope 35 is lifted. This movement of therope rotates the shaft 33 through the pulley 34, causes the detent 38 tomove in an arc of a circle and into the path of movement of the pin 40,projecting from the sleeve 30, thereby engaging the hook and holding thesleeve 30 in a fixed position. Conversely, when it is desired todecrease the effective diameter of the sheave 12 the endless rope 35 ismoved downward, which rotates the detent 37 in an arc of a circle toengage with the pin 39 on the sleeve 27. It will be understood that thesleeves 30 and 27 normally rotate in unison with the spool and that whenneither of these sleeves is held in a fixed position the gears 25 or 26,as the case may be, are brought in contact with either the rack 29 or 32on the sleeves, thereby rotating the shafts and moving the members 20 2020 21 21 21 outward or inward relatively to each other, and thusgradually changing as the successive members are moved toward or fromeach other the efiective diameter of the sheave-12. v p

I wish it'understood that I do not limit myself to the precise methodshown, for moving the members of the sheave 12 which at the time are notunder tension or strain, as means other than that shown may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, I

.claim 1. In an elevator, the combination with an endless rope, of asectional expansible sheave, together with means for moving suchsections of the sheave as at the time are not subjected to the strain ofthe rope.

2. In an elevator, the combination with an endless rope, of a sheave ofvariable diameter, said sheave formed of a series of coacting members,together with means for moving such of said members as at the time arenot subjected to the bearing strain of the rope.

3. In an elevator, the combination with an endless rope, of a sheave ofvariable diameter, said sheave consisting of a hub member, two series ofconical members, means for moving oppositely-disposed members of eachseries toward or from each other, and means under the control of theoperator of the elevator for determining the direction and degree ofmovement of saidconical members relative to each other.

4. In an elevator, the combination with an endless rope, of a sheave ofvariable diameter, said sheave consisting of a hub member, two series ofconical members, threaded shafts for moving said conical members, gearson the opposite ends of said shafts, sleeves carrying racks, and meansfor throwing one or the other of said racked sleeves into engagementwith the gears on the ends of the shafts.

5. In an elevator, the combination of a driven shaft, a sheave of fixeddiameter on saidshaft, a sectional sheave of variable diameter on saidshaft, an endless rope carried over said sheaves, together with meansfor moving such sections of the sheave of variable diameter as at thetime are not under strain from the rope.

6. In an elevator, the combination of a driven shaft, a sheave ofvariable diameter on said shaft, said sheave comprising two series ofoppositely-disposed members whose external surfaces are inclined towardeach other, threaded shafts for moving said members, gears on oppositeends of said shafts, two rack-sleeves loosely mounted on said drivenshaft and normally adapted to rotate in unison with the shaft, pinsprojecting from said sleeves, pivotally-mounted detents, together withmeans for throwing said detents into engagement with one or theother ofsaid pins on said sleeves.

7. In an elevator, a sheave of variable diameter, comprising two seriesof oppositelydisposed conical members, arranged around a central hub,threaded shafts for actuating said members, gears on the ends of saidshafts, together with means for successively producing a relativemovement between pairs of said conical members.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

HAROLD ROBINSON WELLMAN.

